The following is an excerpt from our 25th Anniversary celebration publication. To see the entire article, click here.

From what was once a farm community of 305 people known as Ontarioville, the village of Hanover Park was born. It was incorporated as a municipal government on August 14, 1958. With the opening of the Northwest Tollway, many of the cities and villages along its route saw a virtual population explosion. Hanover Park’s population swelled to over 10,000 people by 1968; and, in that span of time, the nature of the area changed from that of a quiet rural community to that of a fast-developing suburban municipality.

A religious census taken around this time reflected that 64% of the people who moved here were Roman Catholic. Those early-settling Catholics found it necessary to attend churches in neighboring towns. They moved from church to church as new parishes were formed, such as starting in St. Peter Damian in Bartlett, St. John the Evangelist in Streamwood and St. Marcelline in Schaumburg. The time had come to bring a Catholic parish to Hanover Park.

The process began on April 25, 1968, when Father Jerome F. Riordan was asked by the Archbishop of Chicago, John Cardinal Cody, to investigate the possibility of establishing a parish “in the vicinity of Hanover Park”. On May 15, 1968, the Cardinal formally appointed Father Riordan to organize a parish in Hanover Park.

Father Riordan spent the next several weeks putting the Cardinal’s directive into motion. He celebrated his first Mass as pastor of the new parish on July 7, 1968, in the auditorium of Tefft Jr. High School in Streamwood. “St. Tefft”, as the temporary worship location was affectionately refer to, would be the home for its parishioners for almost ten years. The first collection brought in a total of $309.47.

The following is a timeline for the rest of the events that led up to the construction of our current worship center.

• August 1968 – Four names were recommended for consideration. Church of the Holy Spirit. St. Ansgar, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Parish of the People of God.
• November 8, 1968 – Cardinal Cody notified Father Riordan the name of St. Ansgar would be a suitable patron for the parish.
• October 1968 – A residence was acquired at 2041 Poplar. It was remodeled to serve as the priest’s residence and office. The garage was remodeled to serve as a chapel.
• October 2, 1972 – Cardinal Cody granted permission for St. Ansgar to construct a new “multi-purpose worship center."
• November 1972 – groundbreaking ceremony.
• June 14, 1973 – building plan was approved by the village board.
• July 10, 1977 – ninth anniversary of St. Ansgar was celebrated by the placement of the cornerstone.
• October 22, 1977 – 125 parishioners help lay 3,400 yards of sod to prepare for Mass the following week.
• October 31, 1977 – “The Mass of Entry” celebrating the opening of the church.
• June 11, 1978 – Cardinal Cody presided over the dedication ceremony.